Abstract

Objectives Self-inflicted intentional injuries are increasing at an alarming rate in the Republic of Korea, yet few reports describe
their relationship with alcohol consumption. The aim of this study was to characterise the association of alcohol drinking
patterns and self-inflicted intentional injury in Korean emergency departments (EDs) using WHO collaborative study protocol.

Design Cross-sectional study.

Setting Data were collected from four general hospital EDs in four geographically diverse regions of Korea: Seoul, Suwon, Chuncheon
and Gwangju.

Participants Information was collected on 1989 patients aged 18 and above. A representative probability sample was drawn from patients
admitted to each ED for the first time within 6 h of injury.